


At The Dump

by undersans



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-17
Updated: 2018-03-17
Packaged: 2018-05-07 05:38:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5445236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/undersans/pseuds/undersans
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Apparently a human secretly lives at the dump. Said human is also really suspicious they have been found out by their only friend Sans, who occasionally stops by the dump to talk to them. This is mainly feelgood fluff with no real smut or hard romance. You have to balance out the sad fanfiction somehow, right?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Holiday Invitation

He knew that I was a human. I don't know when the realization washed over me, but I was distraught. I lay in my bunker, shivering in fear and eyes wide open in the complete darkness. I was wondering what I was going to do and how my soul was going to be taken. I was wondering if our friendship had meant anything, wondering why he didn't _tell_ me that he knew.  If we were really friends, why was I terrified? I clutched my knees to my chest in the most pathetic fetal position I knew, snuggling deeper under the blankets, debating if I could just run away. Unsure what to do next, I cried. I never would have admitted it to him but I cried at the thought of the inevitable ending that befalls all humans.

"Why am I here?” and “Why is this happening to me? I don't belong here” flooded over my thoughts. It was harder to breathe, everything felt dizzy. I tried to count and feel my surroundings, the only way I knew to really feel like I was touching the world.

Sans wouldn't sell me out. I was a shitty friend for even considering it but I couldn’t shake the feeling of being unsure. It's not like I was in love with the guy. We weren’t even close, but it still felt like not like we had _something_. Something that couldn't be sold out for just, you know, a ticket out of the eternal imprisonment in the Underground. He’d be a hero. And I felt guilty for not letting him be.

I should’ve given up my soul earlier. Everyone that ever knew the truth, especially Toriel, thought I had long died. It’d been at least 15 years since I fell down that hole. I made sure they thought I was dead.

But I don’t want to think about that.

The magic coursing through me like every other monster probably made life easier. No one grew suspicious of me because I, too, had a magic aura. And I needed it, seeing as I literally lived at the dump. It kept me safe, kept other monsters away. They recognized that this was my home, like a scent and barrier surrounded the bunker.

Yet, how could I be so sure? At first it was just the little jokes and the mannerisms, how he'd poke fun at me for “speaking like a human.” But sometimes, just sometimes he would ask, “Are you sure you’re not a human?” and his voice fluctuated on the edge of serious and joking. I didn't know how to deal with it. I didn’t know how to deal with me, so I waited and waited. It was the longest I’d gone without leaving the bunker in my “Monster Disguise” to find edible trash.

But today he came back. My eyes shot open as soon as I heard the knocking on the junk that was my makeshift door. It was the familiar tapping rhythm typical of the comic Sans. Even without it, no one else ever came. Did he have a friend this time? A friend to barge in and take my soul? It’s not like he would need someone like Asgore to come and claim me, it wasn’t like he was weak. I knew bits and pieces of his power, if only from his occasional drunken explanations. Once, he demonstrated for me from the other side. I told him I could see through walls, but really I just used one of my secret peepholes to see him throw magical bones at random piles of garbage.

"Hello,” I said meekly. I cleared my throat, sure he didn’t actually hear it. “Hello?” he called out, clearly having not heard my response. It should have been reassuring to only hear his voice, but my doubt intensified my fears. God, Sans please don’t kill me. Don’t rip my soul from my body. If he does, I want it to be quick and painless. I don’t want to see it coming, I don’t want to feel betrayed.

I didn’t know what I was really hoping for, and I continued praying to a god I didn’t believe in.  
“Kid? Surely you’re here, you’re always here. Unless you’re a bone-ifide magician now,” he chuckled. I sat up, peeking my head out from under the blankets and blinking hard to adjust to the sudden bright light. It was the afternoon, apparently. I sighed in relief. Surely my soul was safe for just one more day. At least that’s what I told myself. It’s just a skeleton man.

I waddled over to my favorite peephole, still bundled in the blanket and trying not to trip over myself. Sans had his back to me, looking down at some beer he had in his hands and rocking back and forth. He began walking off and I quickly yelled for him.  
  
“Sans! Hi!”

He stopped and turned back to the door, grinning.

“Don’t scare me like that,” he laughed, sitting down in his usual spot in front of the door. A fluffy mat (lovingly made from my favorite trash) had been placed there for him years ago, specifically for him to sit on so we could comfortably talk.

“Don’t worry Scardeybones, if I wanted to scare you you’d be running by now,” I teased. His shoulders shook up and down in silent chuckling.

“Hey, uh, want a drink?” He asked, peeking back down at his bottle.

 _“Oh, several,”_ I thought to myself. Without waiting for me to answer, his hand and the bottle appeared barely under the door. I picked it up and began inspecting it. It definitely wasn’t beer. Some sort of murky liquid filled the inside of the previously opened beverage. Whatever. It was definitely some sort of prank but I’d rather participate than disappoint. I took a swig and spat it back up almost immediately. Sans must’ve heard it because his snickers were audible through the door. “Oh this is disgusting!” I yelled. The snickers turned into laughter, and I couldn’t help but smile despite my delusions that there was still an Asgore hidden behind a trash pile somewhere. He reached his hand back under the door and I returned the closed bottle. I leaned against the hole and watched him open it back, taking big gulps himself. How did he manage?

“What’s in that shit, ketchup and the nightmare of children?” He shrugged to himself, still giggling and taking small swigs. “Uh, one of those is accurate,” he said. I rolled my eyes. “I was joking, gross,” I said, actually feeling sick just thinking about it.

When I think about who my best friend is, my mind always goes the same to the same person. But he doesn’t even know who I really am. I am living a lie after all, and it felt awful but calming in a sick way. In a world of monsters, I had crafted my own, predictable NPC. I made up my whole life through some thick walls. Sans didn’t know he was my only friend, he only knew I never showed him my face and I was always willing to listen to his drunken rambling he wouldn’t dare tell anyone he “really” knew. And he would never know me, not in this lifetime. My heart clenched up. How long is a lifetime?

I slipped out of my delusion long enough to continue the conversation, “Hey, is there alcohol in that thing?” He was mid-swig, and stopped. “Oh I knew you’d come around,” he grinned, twisting the cap back on. I put my hand under the door this time, asking for the bottle back. There was a pause and a shiver went down my spine. I retreated my shaking hand and clenched it under the blanket.

 _“Oh my god,”_ I thought. _“Oh my god he just saw my hand. Oh my god Sans knows.”_ The bottle rolled under the door and I picked it up, nearly dropping it several times. I started gulping down the disgusting mixture, hoping to just forget the fact that I’d just revealed my _human_ hand to someone who knew what human hands looked like. The buzz wasn’t coming fast enough, only the burning sensation. Whatever was in the concoction was strong.

I waited for him to ask the dreaded question—the “Holy mother of goats you’re a human” scream. How could I be so paranoid but make such a silly mistake? 15 years down the drain. I would have to move away, find a new dump. But where would I find one as good as here? Would Sans be able to hunt me down? The magic in me would surely be traceable. Everything I ever had was here in the bunker, completely covered in my aura. There would be no mistaking it, surely.

“Say, are you, uh, free tonight?” He asked, the pitch in his voice slightly lower than usual. It wasn’t a good sign, but it was a startling question. He was hoping to hand deliver me to Asgore, surely. His lazy self wanted me to walk to my own death, right? Right?

But my confusion overtook the thoughts. Sans never asked me to leave the dump that was my home anymore. I never showed my face, and as far as he knew, I literally never left this bunker. I used some sort of self-feeding magic. He probably thought I drained and ate the energy left on trash. It would make the most sense, and sometimes I actually did if I was hungry enough. Even when raining or snowing, Sans was never invited inside. Sometimes, outright refused. Whenever he asked I simply told him no. I felt terrible about not letting him in sometimes. A specific memory of a snowstorm creeping up came to mind, and I could taste the ice. “Please just for tonight, it’s awful out here,” he had yelled through the door, clenching onto his jacket. But all I could give him was a sad, “I’m sorry, Sans.”

Instead of answering his bizarre question, I deflected it into, “Why?” I looked through the hole again, and he appeared nervous. One boney arm was rubbing the other and his grin was gone. “Well,” he started, giving a nervous laugh mid-sentence, “I’m actually having a party at my place and I know you don't like to go out much, but!” He shrugged, a small grin returning to his face, “It’s just going to be some close friends and I don't want you to be lonely this time of year.”

It was a reasonable request but I was not a reasonable person. “I’m, uh, sorry Sans, I can't. But it was really sweet of you to ask.” I could hear a slow chuckle, the awkward one that didn’t usually happen between us anymore. Something within me really want to go out this time. I was flattered to be honest, but he literally did not even know what I looked like and it had to stay that way. The suspension of him not commenting on my, at the very least human- _like_ hands, was uncomfortable.

“It’s no problem. I kind of expected that answer, but you know my door is always open if you ever want a break from this, _dump_ ,” he joked. I smiled, despite my nerves making my shoulders hurt by how tense they were.

“So what exactly do you look like? Not to be offensive or creepy, but, you know.” He asked. I took a long swig of the alcohol. Oh god. Oh god he knew. He was thinking of the hand this whole time, surely. I hesitated, but tried to joke with him, “W-well I'm pretty hot chocolate if you know what I mean.” His grin became full circle, but he didn’t rely right away. He looked off in the distance and shrugged, “Fine, don't tell me. I’m sure you’re just self-conscious right? Your five heads are all equally beautiful I promise you.” I exhaled a breath I didn’t know I had. “I'm not ashamed of my _seven_ heads, come on,” I giggled. I felt more comfortable easing away from the serious conversation. But of course I messed it up by voicing my concern.

“Why do you want to know? Since when you started taking such an interest in me?” I said mocking him. His reply felt genuine.

“Honestly, it’s just something I sort of realized today. Like I said, I just feel like it be really good idea if you left and had fun, that’s all.”

I nibbled at my bottom lip, but said nothing.

“Oh!” he exclaimed, beginning to stand up on the mat. “So hey listen, I'm gonna send you my address and let me know if you ever plan on stopping by. You have my number.” And I did, but I never called him. I simply thought about it a lot, but it was nerve wrecking to have my literal only friend at my immediate disposal. It was a comfort knowing he was there, but I had a fear of telling him too much and him coming to my dump less often. You can’t miss what you don’t have, of course.

“Oh, um, thanks Sans,” I said. I watched him put his phone away and looked at mine the corner suddenly light up. “Promise you’ll at least consider it?” He asked, zipping his jacket all the way up as he prepared to leave.

“I…” I warily began.

He struck a dramatic pose as if to beg. I chuckled. “I, um, alright. I promise,” I sighed. He gave a thumbs-up to the right, since he wasn’t exactly sure how I was watching him.

“A promise is a promise, kid. I’ll see ya around then!” My hand moved to wave, but I stopped myself from doing such a pointless thing with a curse under my breath.

“I’ll see you at the dump,” I grimaced, watching him walk off.


	2. The Dump Fairy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The human hasn’t left the solitude of the dump in years, no matter how cold the snow or hot the trash. But there is one thing that could force her away, and it’s not Sans.

I was hungry. Whatever. I guess today would be the day I had to actually get out of the bunker. I sighed and stretched. Man, it got colder overnight too? What a sucky start to the day. I would have to clear out the little snow that surely was blocking my "driveway," as in the small piece of ground that wasn't covered in trash at my bunker entrance. You know, so I could open the door. I peeked through a few of my peepholes, surveying the land for how much snow I'd have to shovel and if there were any monsters around. 

 

There was no one I could see, hear, or feel, so things seemed safe enough. I went ahead and started bundling up in my "monster." A brown fursuit of no definable shape or arms was the base. Then, an antique fishbowl I modified was my head. I had lined it with special film I found, making it so I could see out but no one could see in. I covered my arms in oversized gloves clearly meant for some sort of boss-sized monster. Lastly, I stuffed my feet in old boots that I secured tightly around my furry legs. 

 

Simple enough. The few monsters that ever saw me leave the bunker never looked twice at me. I peeked outside one more time before taking a deep breath and opening the door. 

 

Holy cow. Still freezing more than usual with more snow than I was used to for this time of year. What was happening? An incoming snow storm? I went to my "garage" that was right alongside my bunker. Neatly piled trash encased in solidified trash. I'm classy, that's for sure. I picked up my shovel and quickly got to work. 

 

I swung the shovel and it rung out. What? I swung again harder. The shovel was now slightly bent on the end. How? I kicked at the snow gently, but it confirmed my fears. This was solid. I felt the panic seeping in. No, couldn't be. I was still hungry, maybe that was it. I just needed some energy, that's all. I shakily put down the shovel and looked around for a local, new pile of garbage to absorb some energy from. I picked a random direction and began walking, looking around and trying to warm myself up by hugging my body. 

 

I kept walking but felt nothing. Another minute. Nothing. Two more minutes. Nothing. Shit. I needed to find something quick or I'd freeze. I stopped walking and looked around. I didn't recognize this garbage, but I couldn't feel its energy. I was freezing, but I wasn't self-warming. I wasn't strong enough to break some everyday ice. 

 

My stomach growled and I choked back a sob. Oh god. Oh god. I turned on my heel and began running back to the bunker.

 

My powers were gone. My magic was gone. 

 

I lay back under the blanket, shivering like hell and trying to calm down. I remained in the fursuit because it was the warmest thing I had. My stomach kept growling. What did food even taste like? I hadn't physically eaten anything in nearly eight months. I needed to go back out and find something, anything. But I was so cold.

 

"I'm going to die here," I thought. 

 

No, have to stay determined. 

 

I yelped at the sudden banging. Had someone seen me? Did they feel that my magic was gone? They knew. They knew I was a human. They were coming for me. I couldn't feel anything. Oh god. Oh god. I grabbed the beautiful (and broken) lamp I kept on my dresser. I would have to fight. 

 

The knock came again, but in a light rhythm. My grip loosened, but I couldn't let it go. 

 

"S-sans?" I called out, not moving from where I was, teeth chattering. 

 

His voice was like an angel singing. 

 

"Well unless you got some new friends, I don't know who else would jingle on your door," he laughed. I sighed and placed the lamp back down. 

 

"A l-little, uh, e-early aren't you?" I answered. His odd jobs were consistent in their inconsistency, but even without them, he didn't come to the dump this often. He was just here yesterday, why was he back?

 

"Well gee I thought you'd miss me," he teased. He was right though, I didn't need to complain. I went by the door and peeked out at him. He seemed...festive. A red and white hat and a wrapped present in hand. 

 

It was adorable. "Oh hey S-sansta Bones. Who's the c-coal for?" He stayed standing, but gently placed it down at the door. "You, actually. I figured y--" he paused as my stomach growled again, loudly. 

 

"Whoa there girl, I'm not the present." My face went hot. How embarrassing. "Uh, I, uh, n-not breakfast. I-I mean I haven't. I haven't e-eaten b-breakfast yet."

 

He whistled. "So you're freezing and hungry. This is the part where I make a joke about you living my third worst nightmare and invite you to the party again."

 

I opened my mouth to respond but I didn't know what to say. Bring me food? No, that's selfish and weird. Give me all your clothes? Suggestive. Insensitive. I was almost desperate enough to say yes, even if it meant taking food and running. 

 

He was still waiting for a response and awkwardly looked around. "Look, uh, I'm joking. I'm not going to try and force you to go," he finally said. "But, I did want to give this to you regardless. It's going to be a cold year and I figured I could..." He trailed off and grinned. "Well I'd make a pun but it wouldn't make sense unless you opened the box."

 

A scarf? Hat? Anything would be fine. "T-thank you, Sans.." 

 

He shrugged. "Buutt I really want to make the pun so you gotta open it. Look!" He said, turning around and walking away. "You can open the door and get it. I'm closing my eyes, I promise not to look! If I did, I wouldn't be a very ICE friend would I?"

 

He stopped walking and stood there, his back to me. "Let me know when you get it!" 

 

I bit my lip, debating whether to put the rest of the "monster" back on first or to trust him. I sucked some air and quickly opened the door. The cold air stung and the present had bits of frost on it, but I grabbed it and slammed the door back. I trusted him. 

 

"O-ok," I called. He turned around and strolled back. "Open it, definitely," he said excitedly. I removed the ribbon delicately. It was so nicely wrapped, what a shame. It looked like he put effort into it, weird. Maybe he got help?

 

I tore off the wrapper at the edges and opened the box. They were...

 

"I figured I could give you a hand!" He blurted out. "Oops, bad delivery," he laughed. 

 

Beautiful, beautiful mitten hands sat in the box. Perfectly my size. Tears started falling down my face and I slipped them on. 

 

"Sans t-they're…beautiful..."

 

"Whoa," his tone changed. "You crying? Don't cry, it's ok. If I knew you liked fluff so much I'd have given you my slippers," he said, half-joking, half-serious.   
  


"So you d-did see them," I said softy.   
  


"See?" He asked.   
  


"My h-hands yesterday," I said meekly.   
  


He didn't respond right away and I cried harder. He knew, he knew.   
  


"Kid...yeah I saw them. I don't really know what you look like if it makes you feel better. I just saw you had small hands and it gave me the idea to get you gloves, that's all. I feel like a bonehead now, I didn't mean to make you sad," he said.   
  


Not knowing what I look like isn't the same as knowing what I am.   
  


I tested the waters. "S-so you know w-what kind of m-monster I am."  
  


"Yes," he answered slowly.   
  


"Obviously some sort of beautiful trash fairy. But I won't tell anyone," he said. I looked back through the hole, teary-eyed. He wasn't making a joke out of this one.   
  


Thank goodness. I laughed to myself. Of course. A trash fairy. I'm a trash fairy. 

 

"Close," I said teasingly, "I-I'm a d-dump fairy." He chuckled, "Well then I'm DUMP out of luck with that guess!"

 

I laughed with him, "Oh j-jeez. S-stop being s-so punny all the t-time." He zipped up his jacket more, still chuckling. 

 

"It's p-pretty c-cold. You h-heading out now, r-right?" I commented. He nodded. "Yeah I have to pick up a couple friends. Listen, kid, uh, don't take this the wrong way but something feels really off. Your magic is low, you're freezing, you're clearly hungry...I'm worried. And maybe this sounds weird but it just feels like it's really important that you be ok tonight. Just a gut feeling. And my gut is usually right."

 

I wanted to ask him if he thought something significant in the time stream was happening, but I held my tongue. Whatever drunk, ranting Sans says isn't meant to be repeated, I learned. If he couldn’t trust me to rant to, he might not come back. That was the majority of our time together and I couldn’t live with that. I also couldn’t live like this. It was hard to breathe, like I was breathing in specs of ice.  
  


“S-sans?” I wheezed, starting to put my monster suit back on.  
  


“Yeah?” I heard.  
  


“I-I’ll c-come to the party.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter! Thank for the comments and kudos, I'm actually REALLY INTIMIDATED LOL, but this is fun so no TRASHING the progress now. I guess you guys really like...GARBAGE ;)


	3. Party Popper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was supposed to be a small, peaceful party. So why is everything the human knew falling apart?

If the degrees weren’t in the negatives, maybe I’d be sweating from the awkward air between us. It was the first time I’d ever been in touching vicinity of Sans, and he was holding my hand to guide me through the snowy winds. The only noises we made were the occasional whistle and wind comments from Sans, and teeth chattering from me.

Other than that, awkward silence.

“We’ll be there soon, and trust me it’s a lot warmer at Grillby’s. From there we’ll all be taking a sled back to my house, so no need to worry, ok?”

I nodded, but of course he couldn’t see my face, only the fishbowl.

“So,” he started again, smiling back at me as I lagged a little behind, “I told you about Toriel, Grillby, and Undyne.”

I pretended to not know who Toriel was, but the second scariest thought was Undyne.

“Those are the three that’ll be in the sled with us. Grillby doesn’t talk much and Undyne is really loud, so it’ll be a good balance. Don’t feel bad if Grillby doesn’t say much to you and don’t be intimidated by Undyne, I mean. Heh, together they’d just make fishsticks right?”

Right.

As if I was going to try and socialize, anyway. What if Toriel recognized my voice? Dying seemed like a better option.

My knees buckled and I stumbled, crumbling on my knees into the snow. It sent shivers up my spine.

“Oh boy,” Sans said, having held on to my hand tighter.

“I’m s-sorry,” I coughed out, trying to hurry up and stand back up.

“Don’t be, now I have an excuse for us to go faster,” he chuckled.

Before I could ask what he meant, his left eye glowed blue and I felt myself moving upwards until I wasn’t touching the ground at all. I was drenched in warm magic, hovering within it. It was comforting.

“I think you just need to CHILL out,” he said, moving his hand slightly, causing me to turn sideways. I was now laying on an invisible couch.

“You’re not saying anything, that’s good right?” He asked.

“Y-yes, t-thank you.”

He finally let go of my hand and continued walking forward. I huddled into myself, feeling less and less tense as I warmed up slowly. I was…safe? Yeah, somehow. Of course, safe from a friendship built on a lie. I closed my eyes since I couldn’t see much anyway. I wonder what his friends would be like. How would they react to Miss Fishbowl? Did Sans tell them I was invited? Did he ever tell them about my existence? That would be strange, right?

_Hey guys, this is my friend who lives at the dump that I’ve never actually seen before because we talk through a door._ I chuckled to myself.

“Oh, she’s awake!” A loud voice said excitedly. “Uh, I think,” it corrected. My eyes felt heavy but I fluttered them open. I was still hovering, but now in front of me were three other people alongside Sans. They were all standing near the window, probably waiting for the sled. I immediately recognized Undyne with her very toothy grin.

I had…fallen asleep?

“You fell asleep,” Sans said. “You OK to stand?” He asked, slowly lowering me to the ground. I nodded and the warm magic that had been enveloping me disappeared. Undyne approached me first, buff arm out and rigid to demand a handshake. “Hey, I’m Undyne! Royal Guard Commander, and slayer of delicious festive beasts,” she said smugly. I nervously shook her head and she gripped it, moving up and down as if she was trying to rip off my arm.

“Uh, hello,” I said, forcing a smile underneath the bowl to at least attempt any air of confidence.

Undyne turned to beckon the others over and I froze. It was Toriel and Grillby.

Toriel.

My breathing pattern became erratic. Grillby didn’t move but Toriel stepped forward, offering her paw. “Hello friend, I am Toriel, just Toriel, haha.” She smiled at Undyne who couldn’t help but smile back. I took the paw, on the verge of tears. She continued, “It is so nice to meet new friends. It would’ve been nice to meet her earlier, Sans!” She pouted in Sans’ general direction and he shrugged, then winked at me.

The handshake was over. Everyone looked towards Grillby who simply waved nonchalantly. I waved back.

“Oh, looks like the dog is here guys, let’s go!” Sans said, looking out the window. Everyone began zipping up their jackets and Undyne hooted in excitement, bounding first out the door. Toriel gently took my hand again and began leading me towards the exit with everyone else. Some things never change, I guess.

Outside, it wasn’t as cold as before and I sighed in relief. Perhaps my magic was coming back? I looked behind me to see Grillby locking the door behind us. His face immediately snapped in my direction and I quickly turned away. What was that about?

“Oh, Sans told me you were a little sick so I’m warming you right now. I hope you don’t mind? I didn’t mean to impose, but I got a bit worried. Your aura is very low,” Toriel said, looking down at me.

So much for my magic returning. “Er, yes. I’m a bit sick, thanks,” I lied. She smiled and looked back towards the sled.

A larger-than-usual Greater Dog stood on two legs in front of the sled, panting, bundled up, and attached to the front. A single dog was going to pull us? Incredible.

The sled was also the biggest I’d ever seen, full of all sorts of belts and buckles attached to it.

Undyne and Sans were already buckled up and ready to go in the front row. Toriel headed for the back row that was a bit wider than the rest. I followed her and we sat down, buckling ourselves. Grillby came last and sat in the middle by himself.

“Oh man, I can’t wait to SLED it rip,” Sans snickered. Undyne groaned and Toriel laughed silently. Sans looked behind him to see Toriel’s expression. “Oh you like that Tori? Well don’t worry cause there’s SNOW much more I got for you!” I smiled to myself. They were pretty close, huh? What a dork. As secretive as he was, he still wore his emotions on his sleeve sometimes.

“We are READY!” Undyne yelled. The Greater Dog slowly got down on all fours. “Hey now,” Sans commanded in a joking tone, “I’m in charge of this SNOW-deo, he’s only going to go when—!”

And we were off.

Snow flurried past my face, and never was I so thankful for a fishbowl on my head. Even though I was secure, I held on tightly to the sled, trying not to scream as we turned sharp corners. Everyone else? Laughing and screaming at the top of their lungs. Grillby made no noises, but seemed very uncomfortable, flinching at only the biggest jolts. Big bumps and small bumps made no difference to Greater Dog as they bound around town and field. Greater Dog howled to give warning to those around, but no one in Snowdin seemed surprised. At least, I don’t think so? It was hard to tell when faces blurred past. I felt the fishbowl just slightly falling off my head as we went down a large hill at top speed. I had to make a choice—let go and hold onto my “head” or hold on tighter for dear life. Of course, I chose to hold onto my head.

Grillby looked back at me again when I moved.

What was his PROBLEM?

We hit the bottom of the hill and everyone bounced around a bit. Grillby turned back and I let go of my head. Greater Dog slowed down a little, but we still turned several sharp corners in what seemed like a quiet, small neighborhood.

“Oh MAN!” Undyne screamed, “We HAVE to do this again!” She laughed hysterically, conjuring and throwing spears into the snow around her in excitement.

“Be careful with those, dear,” Toriel cooed, looking back at the spears to make sure there was no property damage. She sounded slightly out of breath, but I was sure everyone did.

“Well if I had to choose between this and walking,” Sans snickered.

“Thank you for this treat, Sans. I’m so out of breath right now, but trust that I had a delightful time,” Toriel laughed.

Sans grinned and looked like he was going to say something, but couldn’t find the words.

“Well, uh, we’re here!” He said instead.

“I think we know what your house looks like,” Undyne growled, still smiling.

Is this how she shows affection? Yelling and growling and throwing things?

I guess I didn’t notice she already had taken off the belts because she hopped out before the sled came to a complete stop.

“PAPYRUS!” She yelled, conjuring a spear into both hands.

She started yelling again, but I decided to pay her no mind and start unbuckling myself alongside Toriel. Sans was talking to Greater Dog and Grillby smoothly got out the sled. I stepped off and gave a hand to Toriel to help her up. She was strong but always looked so gentle. She reminded me of my own mother from a long time ago and I wanted to take my hand back but she already took it.

“Why thank you dear,” she smiled.

It made me happy, and that sense of happiness made me afraid.

The door opened, but it wasn’t a skeleton. Instead, a yellow reptile woman.

Undyne shut up and dropped her spears.

“Alphys!” She yelled again, but in a noticeably softer tone. She bound up the stairs and swooped her up easily. Just how strong was she?

Drunk Sans told me some…questionable things about Alphys, but I kept an open mind. The two seemed very inlove.

“You said you weren’t getting here for another two hours?” Undyne said more than actually asked.

“I, um, got some help in the lab,” she said, blushing.

“Help?”

Before Alphys could answer the question, what appeared to be a…sexy android came outside.

“Of course, help! I can do so much more than be a TV host, you know. Robots got to know a thing or two about science,” the android said in a human-like, but strangely static and sultry voice.

“Oh jeez, you brought Mettaton?” Undyne cried out.

Mettaton seemed offended. Did they actually have feelings, or was this just some really advanced technology? I was unsure.

“It’s the least she could do after I slaved over circuits and chemicals for her,” Mettaton pouted, posing dramatically. There was no way he was real, right?

Mettaton skipped out the door, dancing around Grillby, then Sans and Greater Dog, then Toriel, then…stopping at me.

“And who are you, darling? My, my, what a walking fashion disaster, you ought to have a metal. A+ for effort, truly.”

I would be upset if it wasn’t true. Instead, I chuckled awkwardly.

Toriel, Undyne, and Alphys immediately came to my defense, chiding Mettaton immediately.

He tutted and held out a hand with an annoyed expression.

“Fine, fine. Faux pleasantries first, insults later behind your back. Isn’t that the so-called civilized way to do it? Hi, I’m Mettaton, this party’s host.”

“Sans is the host, Mettaton,” Toriel corrected.

“What?” He said. He seemed genuinely surprised.

“Yup, it’s true,” Sans said in a mocking sad tone. He walked towards us and Greater Dog bound off.

I shook Mettaton’s hand politely, but he had other plans. His arm extended while he continued holding my hand and before I knew it, I was completely wrapped up in silvery metal.

“Hey!-“ Sans called out.

“Well if I can’t be the host, I at least have to help this, this, _DISASTER_. I will not have my reputation of being the party GOD soiled by one troublesome fish head.”

“Fish head?” Toriel said, hands going on her hips. “That doesn’t even make sense, put her down this instant Mettaton. She is an honored guest and I will not have you insulting her wonderful face!”

Mettaton rolled his eyes.

“Face? Sure, if that’s what we’re going with,” he snorted. He picked me up into the air and then placed me down all the way by the door.

He immediately knew it was a fish bowl, but I didn’t know how.

“I-I’m s-sorry,” Alphys said. Undyne placed her down and she dusted a little snow off of me. “H-he’s a b-bit eccentric."

“Very eccentric,” Undyne sneered.

“Alright, alright, let’s go inside,” Sans yawned. And so we did.

Except Sans and Mettaton, apparently they were having a little talk. That was fine with me, Mettaton was already stressing me out and ruining my cover. The only other concern was Grillby, who kept glancing over at me. I had a bad gut feeling about the party. The smell of pasta and cake made my stomach rumble and I blushed when Toriel looked at me, shocked. “Oh my! Why didn’t you say you were hungry, we must get you food this instant!” She took my hand and we rushed to the kitchen.

Aha, there was the skeleton Sans told me so much about. He was much bigger than I imagined. Papryus was the younger skeleton, so I just assumed he would be shorter. But there he was, his presence much more demanding, and further accentuated with a chef hat. I guess that was the end of the surprises, everyone Sans had told me about was accounted for. It was small like he said it’d be.

“Welcome, welcome, everyone! Frisk and I were just finishing up our…Confetti Casserole,” he snickered. Everyone groaned at the pun. I never heard of a spaghetti casserole, but more importantly, who or where was Frisk?

“Ah, back from storage Frisk. Did you find the extra napkins?” Papyrus called. I turned around to look at the doorway and nearly fell over.

It was a human child, arms overloaded with napkins. They smiled and gave a clumsy thumbs up.

“Then I suppose the party has officially started, and only fun times await,” Papyrus said matter-of-factly.

Everyone cheered and the commotion began.

I cried beneath my bowl. What the hell was going on?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so excited for the upcoming chapter, sorry for the slow build up everyone :) Mettaton is, of course, very fun to write.


	4. I'm Dying

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even San's puns can't make the Dump Fairy escape her blizzard of emotions, but maybe a fire can.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Uhhhh I don't really have an excuse for not updating in 2+ years. I've worked on this off and on and figured I would finish the entire thing before posting (I planned to post it all on Christmas 2017), but now that I'm back in the habit of writing, I decided to just post the next chapter and hopefully the one after that...and after that...
> 
> I know, I know, it's fine if you hate me. I hate me too, that's why I was scared to post, praying that everyone who ever read this would move on. But even now I get an occasional kudos so I never had the opportunity to forget. Writing is one of my greatest joys and burdens so thank you everyone, seriously.

My fishbowl came to life. Bubbles tickled my cheek and made my eyes instinctively flutter when they came close. Breathing was slow and icy. I truly was underwater, the pressure pushing me down and making me drag my feet as I stared down at them. I lost track of time, unsure of who I was anymore.  
  
A fish kept tickling my shoulder but I was trapped inside the bowl and couldn't shoo it away. It burned and irritated me. I felt my hot tears mixing with the cool of the water I was drowning in.  
  
"Dump Fairy?", the fish bubbled. My eyes fluttered as the bubbles irritated me. It was Sans but all I could see was the fish. Why?  
  
Why a human here? Living so carefree? A luxury I couldn't afford and forgotten about, sitting near me. I wanted to strangle it. How dare you smile in the face of the enemy? A lamb being fattened for the slaughter.  
  
I can't save you.  
  
My anger subsided. If this were truly a fattening, the child wouldn't be given such freedom. There wouldn't be so much genuine laughter...unless, of course, I was so out of touch to not be able to tell. And if this were a fattening, I wouldn't be able to save the child at this point anyway. I could only watch and hope they didn't figure me out too.  
  
You can't save me either.  
  
"Hello?" Sans the fish asked again. I shook my head to try and see him as he was. He was smiling, but I was certain he was worried. He now wore a funny hat with a mug in hand. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have come,” I whispered. Alarmed, he took my hand and led me upstairs. He wanted to talk. Was this his room? I didn’t want to talk, but I was too afraid to make a run or it. I would probably be instantly stopped by Sans’ magic, and if not, would die in the outside cold long before I ever made it back to the dump.

He closed the door behind us, sighed, then turned to me and smiled wider. “Believe it or not, I didn’t use to do well in crowds either,” he laughed. “Here, take a sip,” he said, offering his mug. It was warm and smelled like chocolate, but I couldn’t eat or drink without taking my fishbowl off. I politely declined it with a hand gesture, but he insisted.

“Here, just hold it,” he said, giving it to me then turning around. “I won’t look, I promise,” he shrugged.

I wanted to believe him, but every inch of my body was screaming danger.

I stood my ground and didn’t remove the bowl. Not here, not so close to the enemy.

“I can’t,” I said, my voice cracking.

He turned back towards me and sighed, his smile ever unchanging.

“You’re going to starve, you really need to eat something. Or drink. I don’t want your diet to go down the _garbage chute_.”

I couldn’t bring myself to even smile at the attempt to lighten the air.

Then, something happened.

My mouth opened and I don’t know why I said it, but I did.

“I’m dying,” I lied. Was it a lie? I certainly felt sick enough. It was a perfect excuse at first glance.

As Sans’ face slowly fell, I turned the idea over in my head. This was fine. With this excuse I could get his sympathy, throw him off. It made sense since my magic was fading. I could disappear and they would just have to accept I was dead, they wouldn’t look for me either.

I could escape. This was my escape.

“You’re…dying?” Sans said more than asked. He sounded full of disbelief.

“I came to the party ‘cause I wanted to have a good time for however I have left,” I said, continuing the lie. I felt excited and guilty at the same time. It was just like telling a story, right? I just had to believe it, too, is all.

“I didn’t want to tell you cause then you might’ve felt bad for me. I’m sorry.”

Sans looked down, then started smiling again.

“I’m glad you told me. This changes everything. I promise you, it doesn’t have to end up this way. I can fix this. You’re sick, right? When did you get sick?”

The gears were shifting. He wasn’t accepting this at all. Was this about his time stream stuff? He never talked about it when sober, was he drunk? No, he wasn’t drunk.

“No, I don’t want anything to change. I’ve had a wonderful life, I don’t want you to fix anything.”

He shook his head. _Stop shaking your head._

“Don’t you want an even better life?” _No._

“I don’t care about a reset if it can save you.” _No._

“You’re my friend, I care about you.” _No._

“If I can save you, then I have to at least _try_ —“

I jumped up, accidentally dropping the mug. “No!” I screamed, then gasped.

Crap.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” I murmured, bending down to retrieve the mug. We had the same idea, bumping heads and falling backwards.

I fell into his lamp, breaking the bulb completely.

“Oh god, I’m so sorry Sans. I can find you a new bulb, I promise. I’m so sorry.” The tears started welling up. I was ruining everything. I shouldn’t have come, this was all a mistake.

“You got to get out,” Sans breathed.

“I understand.” It stung, but he was right.

“No, no, you got to get out the _bowl_ ,” Sans said louder, his hands grabbing my torso.

“No! Sans, stop!” I backed up, trying to remove his hands.

They didn’t budge. Oh yeah, this was Sans.

He knew who I was. My ruse was over, he saw right through me.

“The bulb! You’re on _fire_ , Fairy, you have to take off the bowl it’s on _fire_.”

The realization and panic started seeping in. Taking off the bowl wasn’t an option. No matter what.

“I can’t. Let’s go to the sink, to a sink, you can splash water on me. A shower? I can stand in the shower?”

I could start feeling the heat. My stomach dropped.

“The blizzard has been messing with the pipes, we’ve been using bottled water. I’m sorry.”

I knew what he was going to do as soon as he said the words ‘I’m sorry.’ My screams of rejection got instantly louder as the bowl was forcibly torn off my head.

It was the longest gasp of air I’d ever drawn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From this point on, the final chapters will be much longer. I just thought if I didn't post at least this chapter, I never would.


	5. Reset

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When you're on the ledge, sometimes the only way up is down.

I darted to the other side of the room, one hand covering my face while the other desperate touched around, seeking a quick replacement. Everything was spinning as if I were in a dream. The pillow case?

I yanked out the pillow inside and threw the case over my head and sat down facing the wall. I could hear yelling downstairs. Sans had already teleported outside to throw the fishbowl in the snow, surely. I didn't hear him leave, but I could hardly hear anything.

Was I dead? _Run._

Distorted footsteps. Mettaton? No, why would he check up on me? To harass me. To expose me. I buried my head into my knees. I didn't want to die. 15 years to die like an animal - in the back, head covered. An execution. Run.

Tiny hands tapped my back and I jumped.

"Who is it?"

Nothing. The tiny human, maybe? I wasn't going to remove the pillow case to find out. I sat back down, hands over my head, rocking. _Run. Run._

I couldn't move.

The tiny hands gently touched mine. Why? They put something in my lap. After a few seconds I heard the door close. _Run.  
_

I lifted the case slightly to peek into my lap. Scissors.

I looked back to the door.

_Thank you._

After cutting two small holes to see I stood up. I was barely keeping from hyper ventilating, and needed to escape as soon as possible. If anything was established today, it was that leaving the dump was never an option, just as I thought.

I went back to the window and decided to take a chance. It was hard to process – the kind human helping me cover myself, the threats of Mettaton and Grillby, the mother-like Toriel I missed with such an aching passion, and Sans…

But I had to leave them behind for my own sanity. I struggled to push open the window, which was mostly frozen shut. Opening it just a smidgeon was enough to feel the stabs of cold wind. I’m going to die in the cold – but maybe, just maybe, I could make it somewhere. Could I be lucky enough to survive this? As I pried it open and more ice daggers seemed to prickle through my clothes, the more it seemed impossible.

_I’m going to die._

But I stepped out onto the roof and into the white hell.

_I’m going to die?_

But I closed the window back behind me.

_This is fine._

I knew if I didn’t do it now, I was going to chicken out. So I simply stepped off, looking straight ahead. I stepped off the roof and prayed there was enough snow to break my fall, or if not, that this would be over quickly.

I never hit the ground. The snowy landscape and houses ahead seemed to zoom into my own living room, as if I had changed the television. Breathing was difficult, and I grabbed at my chest. A surge of energy seemed to be falling out – was I throwing it up? It wasn’t painful, but an extremely uncomfortable feeling. Did I die? But it felt – no, _feels_ – real.

A sense of calm overtook me. I was home. But something was wrong, everything felt dizzy. A sudden, terrifying thought overtook everything else – Sans knew that I was a human. But why did I feel that way? A knocking on my door made me yelp. How long had it been since Sans had visited me at the dump?

“Hello,” I said meekly. I cleared my throat, sure he didn’t actually hear it. “Hello?” he called out, clearly having not heard my response. _Please don’t kill me, Sans._ “Kid? Surely you’re here, you’re always here. Unless you’re a bone-ifide magician now,” he called.

I sighed in relief, maybe he wasn’t here to take my soul today. At least that’s what I told myself. I went to my favorite peephole to see if I could stop him from leaving, but he had never left from in-front of the door. His permanent smile was turned downwards. What was wrong?

“Hey Sans, how are you?”

The beer bottle fidgeted in his hands. He looked down at it, a dry chuckle leaking out. “You know, I came here to invite you to a party?” A party? Me? A trash monster? It seemed incredulous, but based on his expression and the way he was speaking, I had no doubt the invite was rescinded already.

“So you were,” I answered. My hands traveled across my arms – it sure was cold today, huh?

“But I have a feeling you won’t like it,” he sighed. I didn’t like seeing him so sad, even though it was merely a moment ago I thought he was here to kill me. Was he having a bad day?

“Sans, are you alright? You want to sit and talk?” By sit and talk, I meant him sit outside on the mat I made lovingly out of my favorite trash while I sat inside so he couldn’t see me. I watched as he took a swig of the beer.

“You know how I would tell you about the resets?” I leaned in to listen, his voice was clear but it was lower than it was before. He was sober, I couldn’t believe he even brought it up.

“Uh, yeah…”

“Did I ever tell you how tiring they are? Saying the same jokes, living a day you want to forget over and over…?”

A gut feeling of panic was starting to bubble up inside me. I wasn’t sure how true the ‘reset’ thing was, but I knew that Sans believed in it. And since Sans believed in it, I still humored the idea and didn’t ever try to say otherwise. Monsters would always understand monsters more than me, right? But something just wasn’t right here. Sans must be having a _very_ bad day.

“Yeah, a little,” I gulped.

Sans threw back the rest of the beer and sat down on the mat, burying his face in his knees. “Are you dying, or was that a lie?”

What was he talking about? Maybe he was drunk after all, perhaps mistaking me for someone else. What a cruel joke, who would say such a thing to him? I felt my teeth starting to touch – I needed more warmth. I managed to tear myself away from the poor sight of Sans and grabbed my blanket.

“I’m not dying,” I yelled out as I made my way back. He didn’t respond.

As I wrapped the warm blanket around my shoulders, I looked back outside to see Sans staring up at the sky. I asked again, “Are you alright?”

His eyes seemed to look directly at me as his head straightened back. I instantly felt uncomfortable, as if maybe the door wasn’t here after all. He couldn’t see me, right? The wood of the door seemed to splinter as the stare went on.

“I can’t figure out a way to save you, then. If you come to the party, you kill yourself. If I leave you here, you freeze to death.”

I wish I knew what he was talking about, but I elected to hear out his problems instead.

“What do I do?” He huffed.

“Are you really talking about me?” I asked. Although it was cold, I still had my magic and the entirety of the dump, it sounded unlikely I’d freeze tonight. “Are you…sober?”

“As sober as I can be,” he laughed dryly.

“Sans, what’s wrong?” I had to help him, but I couldn’t if I didn’t understand the problem.

“I have to try something I’ve never done,” he sighed. He stood up and approached my door. I took a step back. “Sans?”

He raised a hand and a blue glow emitted. The door started shaking and I took another step back.

“Sans? Stop! Stop!” My fears of Sans finally coming to kill me were coming true. I ran to the back of my wall made of junk and started pulling out a wood plank. The junk was packed tightly enough so it wouldn’t fall with one thing missing, but that was the least of my worries right now. My heart pounded as I wielded it as a weapon. There was no way to win a fight against Sans. I had no choice but to maybe surprise him and run before he could kill me. Shit. Shit. I trusted him. _I trusted him._ But I was only a human, this day was bound to happen.

The door burst open, nearly falling over as it hit the wall with its fake “hinges.”

I had one chance. I ran forward with the plank but with a slight of his boney hand I was lifted straight into the air, bumping into the ceiling. I swung it at him, but it was entirely out of range. My chest heaved. I dropped the plank where it was. With a clatter, it fell to the floor.

This was it. There was nothing I could do. I curled up, floating in the air. I said nothing, staring at him as the chilly air brushed against my bare legs.

_My bare legs._

I looked down at my hands. Never had I felt so naked, so exposed. No matter his reasons for breaking down my door, the fact stood that I was clearly human in front of him. Whatever was going in his head no longer mattered. I was now an enemy to kill or turn in, which probably meant death, too. I was dead. All those years of hiding down the drain. And of all people to do it, why the person I cared about? Maybe I could still talk him out of it. Maybe he valued my friendship more than doing the right thing.

I gulped. “Sans…” He turned away from me, his other hand moving to float the door back to the entrance. The chills of the wind stopped, but I shivered anyway. “Sans, please don’t kill me.”

The whites in his eyes slowly looked up into me. His skull, which hadn’t scared me since I first met him, now made me think of the Grim Reaper.

His hand slowly fell back to his side, and I floated downwards with it. “Sans,” I pleaded.

“Why would you think…after everything I just said, you think I want to kill you, Dump Fairy?”

He was still calling me by my imaginary title. Was he drunk and maybe didn’t see that I was human?

“Then why am I floating? Why did you break in?” My foot touched the ground and I tried to adjust myself to stand up. My eyes darted to the plank – I’ll keep it in mind. If I’m fast enough, maybe…

“I just want to talk. I want to save you, I want you to live. What do you need?”

Another chill tickled me and I folded my arms to try and retain some warmth. “I need you…to leave. I need you to not tell anyone I’m…” I hadn’t said the word in over a decade. I couldn’t.

“I already know you’re human,” he whispered, eyes going to the floor as his magic left me completely. It was the perfect chance to grab the plank and try to escape, but I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. I gasped out and grabbed at my chest. He…he knew?

“What…what do you mean?” I stumbled back.

“I’ve known you’re human for a while now, Fairy.”

“How?”

“When I found your frozen body the first time,” he breathed out.

“Sans, you’re drunk.”

“You have three different fishbowls underneath that pile over there. Under your clothes you’re wearing an extra pair of pink socks—“

“Sans, how, what? Were you spying through a hole I don’t know about?”

“—I had to warm up your body by removing your clothes, hoping I’d be able to revive you, but you were already dead.”

I didn’t know what to say. Was it really impossible that Sans could go back in time? When I was young, I never thought I’d fall through a hole and live with monsters, either.

“I died?”

“Twice,” he choked. He looked back up to me, taking a step forward. “And there’s not going to be a third. Do you understand?” My legs shook in place as his boney hands – hands I’d never touched or seen up close – placed themselves in mine.

They were surprisingly warm and I felt my cheeks flare up – was I going to cry? I didn’t know what to feel. Was I fearing for my life, or fearing everything he was saying?

“I love you, Fairy. You’re my friend, I care about you. Won’t you let me help you? Please.”

He wasn’t lying. The desperation in Sans’ voice was unlike anything I’d ever heard before in his drunken rants. And it was about me. I pulled my hands away and hugged him.

“I’m scared,” I heaved out, tears falling onto his shoulder. He patted my back.

“You’re alright now.” I cried harder. For the first time in 15 years, for the first time since I ran from Toriel, I felt safe, alive, and like I had a true friend.

“I love you, too.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...I looked over the previous chapters and realized there was WAY more angst than fluff. I APOLOGIZE and I will make up for it ajoisjdaod. Take it as a necessary precursor T_T


End file.
